Separation of dispensing

In recent months there has been a resurgence in media publicity about the issue of Separation of dispensing in Malaysia. An example is this recent article in FMT which deals with the pros and cons of the situation as it pertains to Malaysia. The biggest advantage of a system whereby the doctor prescribes and the pharmacist dispenses is the concept of medication safety. That I think we can all agree as this is the ideal setting: Furthermore, having two healthcare professionals counter-checking on each other (doctors diagnose and prescribe whereas pharmacists counter-check and dispense) is of paramount importance in order to minimise prescription errors. Many drugs used have multiple actions hence resulting in multiple contra?indications. Thus the public should not compromise their own safety for the sake of convenience as some errors might be fatal or even cause life?long complications. There are however some obstacles in Malaysia as the FMT article points out: - Rural areas still lack pharmacists acutely should continue to have doctors dispensing until sufficient pharmacists are available. - In pharmacies, however, dispensing of medications can only be carried out by pharmacists or by pharmacy assistants under the immediate personal supervision or presence of a pharmacist in the pharmacy. Not doing so is blatantly offending the law (Section 18(1)(b) Poisons Act 1952)**. Refilling prescription?only drugs without a doctor’s prescription is also a liability in court (Section 2...
Source: Malaysian Medical Resources - Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Tags: - Nation - Palmdoc Dispensing Pharmacists Pharmacy Source Type: blogs